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The fourth week of the Ohio High School Athletic Association football tournament will see three area schools play for the right to advance to the state semifinals.
Ursuline, Struthers and South Range were all victorious over the weekend. The three schools will now play Friday in the title game of their respective regions.
Four other area schools - West Branch, Garrettsville Garfield, Mineral Ridge and Lowellville - bowed out of the tournament.
Ursuline (13-0) continued its run of perfection with a 27-20 win over Villa Angela-St. Joseph. Now, the Irish will face Chardon (10-3) at Portage Community Bank Stadium in Ravenna.
The Division III, Region 9 title game features a pair of schools with plenty of late-November experience.
Chardon is seeking its tenth regional title. The Hilltoppers have appeared in four state championship games, winning state titles in 1994, 2020 and 2021. They own a 45-17 postseason record.
Six weeks into the season, Chardon owned a 3-3 record. The Hilltoppers have since reeled off seven straight wins, outscoring opponents 279-44 during the stretch.
Ursuline owns 10 regional titles, six state final appearances and four state championships (2000, 2008, 2009, 2010). The Irish last won a regional title just two years ago when they advanced to the Division IV title game before falling to Clinton-Massie.
The Division V, Region 17 title game will set up a rematch from a year ago.
Last November, South Range defeated Perry 49-21 en route to a state championship. The Raiders and Pirates will have a repeat performance, this time Twinsburg High School.
South Range advanced with a 48-21 win over Clearview.
South Range (12-1) has won nine straight playoff games since losing to Kirtland in the 2021 regional final. Perry (13-0), which owns a 4-4 playoff record against area teams since 2017, won its lone regional title in 2016.
Both the Raiders and Pirates have been dominant in the playoffs. South Range has outscored three opponents 126-41 while Perry has outscored its playoff foes 132-21.
Perry was also never seriously challenged throughout the regular season. Its closest game was a 36-20 win over Geneva (10-0). On Sept. 1 the Pirates defeated Kirtland (12-1) 24-6, snapping the Hornets 57-game regular season winning streak.
Since the midway point of the 2019 season, South Range owns a 55-4 record, including a 16-3 playoff record.
History will be made when Struthers (10-3) and Canton South (13-0) meet in the Division IV, Region 13 final at Larry Bagnoli Stadium in Tallmadge.
Both schools are seeking their first-ever regional title. In fact, both schools are playing in a regional championship for the first time.
Struthers advanced with a 28-25 last-second win over Mentor Lake Catholic. Struthers has been involved in a trio of close playoff games, winning the three contests by a combined margin of 13 points.
Meanwhile, Canton South is averaging 39.8 points per game. Canton South is led by All-Ohio quarterback Poochie Snyder. On Friday against West Branch, Snyder accounted for four touchdowns and 401 yards in a 40-21 win. In the process, Snyder set Stark County's all-time career passing touchdown record (117). He also has thrown for more yards than any quarterback in Stark County history.
A year ago, the area sent four teams to regional title games. Canfield, South Range and Warren John F. Kennedy all won regional titles and all three advanced to the state title games in their respective divisions, with the Cardinals and Raiders winning state titles. West Branch bowed out to Jefferson.
The Mahoning Valley has produced at least one regional champion every year since 2015. It has also been represented at the state finals every year since 2018.
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